In a region known for its rather sunless climate, coffee love and a host of folks whose jobs are electronically mobile, it’s not surprising to find an ubiquitous love for the warm, portable, frittered and circular. Indeed, doughnuts are a mainstay of Seattle’s pastry scene, a steady current among the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it fervor of cupcakes, cake pops and the like. And they continue to truck along as down-home cop breakfast, grocery-store snack standby and naturally, kid favorite.

A couple of new places on the horizon: Din Tai Fung, the popular dim sum parlor in Bellevue, is planning an expansion into University Village. Skillet Diner (1400 E. Union St.) announces that its patio is now open for outdoor dining, and that it’ll have a new Ballard location (2034 N.W. 56th St.) open later this spring.

First things first: A Russian guy by the name of Andrey Toskar is about to open an Eastern-European-style spot called Vostok Dumpling House in the Harvard Market (1416 Harvard Ave.) on Capitol Hill. It’s going into the Little Shanghai space next to Marination Station. Thank goodness, the Cold War is over.

Madison Valley will lose Thierry Rautureau’s much-loved Rover’s this spring. “The Chef in the Hat!!!” is closing what we might call “The Restaurant-in-a-House” after 20 years. (The property, not the restaurant business, is available for lease.)

There are many reasons why it is a good idea to drink in moderation. Drinking too much can be dangerous on many levels, especially if you binge-drink. There is risk of violence, injury, accidents and unwise, drunken behaviors. Working in the restaurant industry for as long as I have, I have been witness to this.

Opening in Lower Queen Anne, at 144 Western Ave., is a tiny, new specialty-food store, Marx Foods. For the last four years, Marx has been an on-line retailer overseen by Justin Marx, fifth generation in the specialty grocery biz.

The little sushi shop at 2501 Eastlake Ave. N. was hopping on Friday night as customers nodded and swayed to live jazz music while enjoying some of city's most highly esteemed sushi. Watching it all from behind his counter, chef Hiroshi Egashira smiled, savoring what may be one of the final nights of what’s become a six-year tradition.

It looks like 2012 is turning out to be a more typical harvest after a couple of cooler harvests. First, let’s look at ideal seasonal conditions for the vines, according to the Washington State Wine Commission.

In the run-up to the election, a few cutesy, election-themed promotions. Metropolitan Markets are running a “Commander-in-Cheese” poll alongside an “Ode to Cheese” promotion. At the top of Queen Anne, at the Five Point Cafe, there’s a Red Door-Blue Door poll...